Metro, CNG autos fail to check rising pollution

Pollution level in the Millennium City has been increasing at an alarming rate even though the administration is taking various climate conservation measures such as introduction of Metro rail and CNG-run autorickshaws. Divya Sethi reports.

Pollution level in the Millennium City has been increasing at an alarming rate even though the administration is taking various climate conservation measures such as introduction of Metro rail and CNG-run autorickshaws.

In 2009, the air pollution level in the city was 442 SPM (suspended particulate matter per metre cube) which reached 458 SPM in 2010 and in the past four months, the average pollution has already touched 425 SPM, according to the pollution control department.

Pollution level is measured at Rajiv Chowk crossing on the Gurgaon Expressway.

Pradeep Yadav, regional officer of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board, however, said: “The figures may not be showing a rosy picture but with the implementation of stringent laws such as imposing ban on vehicles more than 15 years old and introduction of Metro have made the situation better. We cannot expect a drastic change overnight, things would improve gradually.”

Forest officials also attribute the rise in pollution to decreasing green cover.

Davinder Rao, range forest officer said: “In the last ten years, the green belt of the district has gone down. And it is high time that we start taking care of our environment.”

The number of trees in Gurgaon has reduced from 3 lakh to 1.32 lakh in the last decade. There are 15,000 autos on city roads whereas only 1,000 are registered.